Once Upon A Time …

May is National Storytelling Month, so I thought, “This is a great month to write about what it takes to tell a good story.” When first wrote my graphic novel, Epilectra, I wrote from my gut. My initial draft petty much spilled out of me onto the page, and then I molded it into a more intelligent, comprehensive, better researched form edit after edit after edit. Over the years, I’ve taken plenty of writing classes, and I’ve also attempted to teach middle school kids how to write a story while volunteering at a public school near my home. So, I’ve given the elements necessary to convey a compelling story a lot of thought. 

There are five basic components to any coherent story: Plot, Setting, Characters, Point of View, and Conflict. I’ll briefly explain each one as it pertains to Epilectra (duh!), but I also encourage you to write your own story – whether it’s fictional or based on something from your life. Yes, I’ve always been a writer, so I’m comfortable doing it. But I believe that it can be very empowering and therapeutic. I definitely found that to be the case in writing Epilectra. So, here's my attempt at a crash course in story writing.

Plot

Briefly, plot is the events and actions that drive your story; it’s the “what” of your tale. It lets the reader know what’s happening, relates the characters’ problems, and describes how they attempt to solve them. Ideally, you can sum up your plot in an “elevator pitch.” When I introduce Epilectra to anyone for the first time, I almost always begin, “Epilectra is about a modern team of superheroes who have different disabilities they transform into superabilities to rehabilitate adversaries and make the world a better place.”

The plot has six sequential elements:

Exposition – gives the reader enough background information to jump right into your story

In Epilectra opens with a future journal entry by Epilectra’s human persona, Eden Rivers, looking back over her experiences and feelings about becoming a superhero. This sets the stage for the rest of the book.

Rising Action – includes all the events that occur prior to the climax and gets the reader invested in your character/s

In my graphic novel, we experience Epilectra’s Origin Story and the creation of Team SEEZ.

Climax – depicts how the main character/s attempts to resolve the problems that have been building for them

In Epilectra Book 1, Story 1: SEEZation, Epilectra meets her first adversary, BlaqOut, and must use her superability against a living being for the first time in order to stop him from wreaking havoc over New York.

Falling Action – shows how the character/s deal with the aftermath of the decisions they made in the climax and how it affected them

The book shows Epilectra’s great relief at her success and her journey back to Team SEEZ Headquarters.

Resolution – demonstrates what may be up next for your character/s

In Epilectra Book 1, Story 3: River Rager, Epilectra wanders down Broadway following her success against River Rager. She meets Insulator and realizes there are more people like her – people who have disabilities they can transform into superabilities and invites her back to SEEZ HQ to become the newest member of the team. During the celebrating the follows, Logan, Epilectra’s techie brother who is staring at his computer screens, sees an ominous green mist rising from the manhole covers in the New York streets.

Setting

The setting of your story includes both its location and the point in time it takes place

Epilectra takes place in New York City in the near future.

Characters

The characters are the people or any personified beings – good and evil – that drive your story. Usually there is one primary “good guy,” and that’s your protagonist. The protagonist is trying to overcome an internal (something that causes emotional or psychological pain) or an external conflict (or both). The antagonist is the being or group that causes the external conflict for the protagonist. Antagonists are particularly interesting, because even though they cause conflict for the story’s protagonist, they’re not necessarily evil.

Epilectra has a great cast of characters, both “good” and “bad:”

Epilectra Book 1

Good Guys

Eden Rivers/Epilectra, Logan Rivers, Angel Estoban, Jane/Insulator

Bad Guys

BlaqOut, River Rager, Crusty the Crustacean

Epilectra Book 2

Good Guys

Eden Rivers/Epilectra, Logan Rivers, Angel Estoban, Jane/Insulator, Miles/Aupticus,

C.P./Chen Ping, Patricia/Endo-Girl

Bad Guys

Vanessa/Virulant, Archie the Arachnid, LongWang/The Dragon King

Point of View

Point of view is the lens through which the story is being told. The most common POV’s are:

First Person – In first-person, the story is told in first person, most typically the protagonist’s. We’re privy to this character’s inner thoughts and feelings.

Second Person – The reader is addressed directly in this point-of-view with terms like “you” and “your.”

Third Person – This point-of-view is very common in fiction writing. The reader is like a bystander to the action and pronouns like “he,” “she,” and “they” are used to describe characters.

I switch between first- and third-person point-of-view in Epilectra. I use first-person with the action taking place through the eyes of Eden and Epilectra to help the reader feel what it’s like to be faced with the challenges of living with a disability or carrying out the responsibilities of a superhero.

Conflict

Conflict is the big problem of the story. It represents what the protagonist is trying to overcome or solve. Conflict can take different forms, but the main four are:

Self – The protagonist must overcome something within themselves to achieve their goal. This conflict can take the form of doubt, fear, a grudge, or whatever is holding your character back.

Character – The protagonist must face off against another character before the story can end.

Nature – This type of conflict pits characters against some type of natural forces like a hurricane or wildfire, or perhaps your characters must battle an illness.

Society – Here, the protagonist feels at odds with an overwhelming societal norm with which they can’t conform.

Obviously, Epilectra and her team have conflict with other characters, or adversaries, in the graphic novel. But rather than trying to annihilate their foes like many superheroes, Team SEEZ members purposely calls their opponents “adversaries” rather than “evil.” They believe that no one is born evil; that evil is a factor of circumstance, and if you change a being’s circumstances, then you change its need to act in a negative manner. Team SEEZ “rehabilitates” its adversaries, helping them to find better circumstances in which to exist.

Whatever form your future storytelling takes – fact or fiction, lengthy novel or short story, romance or superhero graphic novel – utilizing these elements to structure your writing will keep your readers turning the pages!